Officials announced Monday they are making concrete changes to improve safety in the high-pedestrian area.

On Monday, the State Highway Administration said a traffic study was started in the fall to increase pedestrian safety, but they sped up their efforts after three people lost their lives this year trying to cross U.S. Route 1 in College Park.

The city of College Park, along with University of Maryland police and the SHA, announced changes to improve safety. The speed limit will be lowered along Route 1 between Guilford and Berwyn roads from 30 to 25 mph.

"We will be putting up a fence along the median of U.S. 1 between Knox Road and Hartwick Road," SHA Administrator Melinda Peters said.

The SHA said it will install an overhead pedestrian signal at the intersection of Route 1 and Hartwick Road by late October.

"This device will provide controls that will flash yellow along U.S. 1 and flash red along Hartwick Road. When activated by a pedestrian, the signal will turn all controls on that intersection to a solid red, indicating to drivers to stop," Peters said.

The University of Maryland also announced a Walk Smart College Park campaign that includes partnering with local restaurants and taverns. The university's president, Wallace Loh, acknowledged that drinking on campus does put students at risk, and he said efforts to educate students will continue.

"We have alcohol education programs. We have a number of initiatives and, now, of course, we have to expand those to expressly link drinking to pedestrian safety," Loh said.

University of Maryland Police Chief Col. David Mitchell said they've arrested 500 people in the past two years in the Route 1 vicinity on DUI charges. Their efforts to curb that will continue.

"On Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., we will have officers on foot in the vicinity of Knox Road and Route 1 enforcing the law, conducting educational checks with pedestrians and using radar to enforce the new lower speed limit of 25 mph," Mitchell said.